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Links & Resources - Recommendations
Bobbi's favorite new books: Roads, vehicles
Do you know there is a vehicle called an elephant truck? Does your community have one? Ask your vehicle experts. If they don’t know, they will after you share The Village Garage.
Early on as a librarian, I learned to amaze mothers of 3 and 4 year old boys by asking “Trucks or trains?” as they passed the desk on their first visit to the library. “How did you know?” If you work with preschoolers you know that vehicles are a year-round, all-time favorite topic. As stormy weather continues across the country there’s still plenty of work for snowplows, loaders and dump trucks. As spring arrives road repair weather will roll out more BIG exciting machines. Follow road building step by step in Roadwork. As an adult you might tire of the topic as Leo’s mom does in Leo the Trucker, but such surefire interest guarantees an eager audience for this load of good books about trucks and other vehicles at work. Dump them (gently) and watch the road building begin! If your vehicle fan prefers cars try Miles to Go or Hot Rod Hamster for action-packed fun.
Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord
Join in as Hamster puts together his hotrod, making choices from a range of auto parts and custom decals. Each list of options ends with “Which would you choose?” offering a chance to assist with his racecar. Lively illustrations and a rousing race in which the little guy triumphs add up to an interactive winner: ready, set, read it again! Ages 3 – 6
Leo the Trucker by Barbara Samuels
Trucks – inside, outside, trucks in books, everywhere and all the time, Leo loves trucks. Lola is not a truck. Lola is the new cat that Leo’s truck-weary Mom brings home. Disappointed, Leo and his mom both adjust their expectations and activities as Lola joins in becoming in time a real trucker after all. Bright illustrations hold humorous details and invite re-reading. Ages 3 – 6
Miles to Go by Jamie Harper
Miles, a precocious preschooler, “drives” his car to school daily with his Mom in tow. Joining his friend Otto who arrives on his motorcycle, they spend activity time repairing Miles’ broken horn. Colorful, energetic illustrations add to a light-hearted and imaginative story that includes traffic lights and a road map on the endpapers. Ages 3 – 4.
Roadwork by Sally Sutton
Action verbs set up sturdy, punchy rhymes which lay out a road building project. Each step ends with descriptive sound words such as“Squelch! SPLUCK! SPLAT! These bounce across the page increasing in size adding to the noisy fun. A glossary of vehicles completes this inspiration-packed guide for sandbox road engineers. Ages 3 – 5
The Village Garage by G. Brian Karas
Follow a small town road and maintenance crew through their year of chores. George and his team begin in the spring cleaning up the mess left from winter storms. Setting their tasks and vehicles in context of each season enlarges a sense of time for preschoolers who will also enjoy the action and humor in the illustrations and simple story. Ages 3 - 5